*Ahem*
I finally received my Mace Windu saber today and I must say, quite frankly, it is an impressive specimen. Although the accuracy to the actual prop is somewhat off, I find it to be an awesome addition to my collection of prop replicas. I might consider getting more of these Force FX lightsabers. Lights and sound effects are VERY cool and realistic. When my a friend of mine saw it he almost pissed his pants. It is arguably the lightsaber with the best looking hilt.
Having said that, I have to remain objective however, and say that it is not without flaws. The Windu saber requires 6 batteries which in turn requires a larger hilt to accomodate the extra electronics. This, combined with the weight of the blade itself makes the lightsaber difficult to swing around with much speed akin to Anakin or Obi-Wan in Revenge Of The Sith. Rather, it seems as though you really are Sam Jackson in AOTC; swinging around his saber like a baseball bat. Its not so heavy though that it prevents dueling altogether, lets just say you wouldn't want to duel anyone with a 3rd Generation saber.
Them placement of the on/off switch also leaves something to be desired. Whenever you swing the saber around you might accidentally switch the whole thing off, which I must say would be disastrous if you were a real Jedi. Also the chrome plating of the hilt tends to get dirty and smudged easily which I find annoying but is probably only a minor issue to most people. I'm quite paranoid about getting my Star Wars stuff damaged you see.
Now,on to the blade itself. No doubt you are aware that the custom "Purple" LEDs used for Mace's saber cause off-colour splotches around the blade. This is probably the worst complaint most of you who own the saber have. However, good strong batteries and proper care should reduce the problem. The off-colour patches dissapear when the blade is ignited in pitch-darkness though.. Apart from that, the colour is satisfactory and the power up/power down effects are good as well.
The sounds effects are quite well done, from the idle hum to each of the 4 clash sounds. I would have loved to hear more but they are good enough. One thing though, it takes quite a bit of force to get the clash sound so I guess Master Replicas made a contradiction with "...should not be used for duelling". Nevertheless, the polycarbonate blade is indeed sturdy enough to allow for some light swordplay. You should not be bashing the saber around like a club though.
In closing, I'd like to say that the Mace Windu is a perfect addition to any Star Wars fan's collection. It is a masterpiece despite its flaws. Cheers to you Master Replicas and here's hoping that you continue to produce such high quality works of art.
Design 10/10
Accuracy 9/10
Light effects 9/10
Sound effects 9.5/10
Durability/Toughness 9.5/10
Overall: 94%
Topic: Mace Windu ROTS Saber ~ A Thing Of Beauty (Read 5812 times)